More Than Words
by Prinzack
Summary: Beneath the surface, Nami and Zoro are developing something more than words can describe. A series of ZoNa drabbles as the crew set off to find the legendary One Piece.
1. Weight of the World

**Scene One: The Weight of the World**

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This was it, exactly what she'd been dreaming of since as long as she could remember. Freedom, liberation, the volition to go out and follow her dream. Eight years of subjugation under Arlong's rule due to his hold on Cocoyasi Village, she almost forgot the feeling of being carefree. Not a worry in the world, having no strings attached. Her body felt naked without the oppressive weight on her shoulders, as if as soon as she blinked, Arlong's iron-clawed grip would clamp around her neck again. But he wasn't coming back—none of it was ever going to come back.

She could finally breathe free again.

"Nami, my love!" Sanji's sing-song voice rang across the table as his spindly arm reached out over the glamorous feast prepared for her and the crew. "Where are you going?"

His eyes were always full of such passion and enthusiasm that she almost felt sorry for him. But of course that wouldn't keep her from sucking him dry of his usefulness. Nami angled her torso with a bounce to look back and flash him a bright smile. "I'm just stepping out for a bit; I think I feel a small headache coming on."

With a dramatic gasp, the blond sprang from his seat and touched his fingers to her temple. "Are you all right? Shall I accompany you to ease your pain?"

Giggling, she shook her head at his continued cooing and traced his jawline with a slender finger. "Thank you, dear Sanji, but why don't you help me prepare a lovely dessert instead? I'll have it when I'm feeling better." Her lips puckered in a small pout as she batted her lashes, effectively baiting the cook to follow her every command.

"Oh, why of course my beautiful sea flower—"

Weary of Sanji's incessant slew of sickeningly poetic comments, Zoro sent flying his empty mug of booze, which found its target at the cook's curled brow. "Give it a rest, you lousy love cook. You're probably the one giving her a headache in the first place."

Sanji leapt to his feet and turned towards Zoro, shooting him a glare. "Shut the hell up, _marimo_. Nami's probably just tired of seeing your ugly mug day in and day out."

The pair's bickering continued, giving Nami the perfect cover for retreating from the cabin and into the darkness outside. While the two men were always too childish for their own good, she was at least grateful for their antics when they distracted Luffy and Usopp. Headache or not, she needed a chance to be alone. Ironic, since it was Luffy and the gang who rescued her from eternal pain and solitude.

Though she could still hear their muffled argument in the background, the sound of waves crashing against the wood of the ship was enough to drown them out, giving enough time to lose herself in her thoughts. Looking out over the deep, endless sea, Nami heaved a heavy sigh and sank to her knees. With her arms hanging on the edge of the ship, she stared at the horizon where the cloudless night sky melded into the calm waters.

"Strange seeing you out here so quiet."

A deep voice broke through her calm silence, giving her a start. She jumped to her feet and spun around on her heel to face Zoro. There he stood, eyes settled comfortably on her as he leaned against the base of the mast.

Arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles, he continued. "I'm more used to you nagging nonstop at us."

Nami couldn't tell whether or not he was joking around, with his stern and calm demeanor, but she chuckled anyway. Something told her that this was his way of making sure she was okay. Only a short amount of time had passed since she officially became their _nakama, _but in that time she could already pick out each of their biggest quirks and qualities. Luffy had his happy-go-lucky attitude paired with an insane amount of determination and steadfast bravery. Sanji, while comically pathetic in his pursuit of each and every attractive woman in sight, exhibited loyalty and chivalry like no other. Even Usopp had his moments of wit and expertise when not sharing her fear of becoming a victim.

Then there was Zoro, who always seemed to keep his cool even in the face of near certain death. Underneath his aloof, lazy shell of blind strength was unyielding tenacity and honor. And though she heard little from him on a day to day basis, she felt a certain attraction to his silent strength. Somehow, even when surrounded by a multitude of monstrous bravery and loyalty from Luffy and the others, she felt safest with the mossy-haired swordsman.

The sound of shuffling broke through her train of thought, and she looked over to see that Zoro had taken a seat beside her. Eyes closed and arms folded, he seemed to be asleep. Nami smiled to herself, knowing better than to let her guard down even as he napped. He slept through storms and howling winds, but he was always aware when he deemed it necessary. And he wouldn't be out here alone with her if he didn't deem it necessary.

"I'm fine out here alone, you know. I'll handle keeping the ship on track; I can take care of things myself." _Been doing it for eight years now, after all._ "You can go back in and celebrate with the others."

Her words fell on deaf ears as Zoro's eyes remained closed. Not even a fidget or a twitch for a reply. Nami sighed, admitting defeat against the stubborn swordsman. Knowing that no amount of nagging would send him away, she sank down beside him and sighed again.

"Is this a dream?" she whispered, more to herself than to him. "Am I just dreaming of freedom only to wake up to that suffocating nightmare again?"

As expected, he gave no answer. Just silence, which was somehow more comfort than any reassuring words he could have given. The comfort was so inviting. The safety she felt chipped away at her protective walls, and she almost felt reprieved enough to shed her worries away.

"I can hardly believe it," she continued, choking back a sob. "True freedom—No debt to be paid."

Years of pent up strain and worry began flooding to her eyes, threatening to overflow with unrestrained relief. But she was afraid of hoping, afraid of falling prey to another worthless dream.

But then her fear stopped short as she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. Unlike the burdens of her past, this weight was warm, secure. Through her tears, she looked over and saw that Zoro's eyes remained shut, but his heavy hand clung tightly to her shoulder, as if to say that she was here to stay. No words were necessary; she learned that this was his way of communicating what was truly important.

And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she allowed herself to cry freely for the happiness of finally finding a life worth living again.

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**End Scene  
**

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**A/N: **So I finally gave in some time ago and started watching _One Piece _with my sister. I sure got sucked in... I'm not sure why I ever stopped watching/reading it back in middle school. But now I can't stop, and I HAVE ALL OF THE FEELS. But you can imagine my heartbreak when I discovered that Oda had no intention of writing any romance into the main plot. So... I'm making my own romance.

As you may have guessed, this scene is set right after the Arlong Park Arc. My series of drabbles will closely follow the _One Piece _story line. Read and enjoy!


	2. Blind, Stubborn Strength

**Scene Two: Blind, Stubborn Strength  
**

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"4,019... 4,020... 4,021... Shit."

No matter how much he tried, the weights just weren't helping anymore, not even a little. The burning in his arms and chest no longer served as a distraction from the danger in the cabin just yards away from where he stood. She was suffering in there, dying even. And no amount of his strength could change that fact. Yes, becoming the greatest swordsman in the world was his dream. _But __what __good __is __that __title __when __it __can__'__t __do __a __thing __to __save __her__?_

"Shit." His arm fell to his side, heavy with his training weights. "I can't do a damn thing. Fucking useless."

With a harsh crash_, _the massive weights fell abandoned against the wood of the ship, and Zoro made his way down to the main cabin, ignoring the exhausted, inquisitive glances given by the rest of the crew. Even Usopp managed to keep quiet about the newly-made hole in the ship. All of them, much like Zoro, troubled themselves with small distractions around the Going Merry, unable to truly rest. So they all took turns watching Nami one at a time, while the rest kept themselves busy outside of the cabin in order to avoid causing a disturbance. And now it was the swordsman's turn to watch over her.

As he walked, his boots thumped against the stairs. The frigid night blew unforgiving winds against his bare chest, but the heat of his exercises kept the chill from taking his mind away from troubling thoughts. Still, he breathed a sigh of brief relief entering the cabin, allowing the strong walls to shield him from the biting cold.

"Your turn to take watch outside, Luffy," he grunted, teeth chattering slightly in a belated response to the outside weather.

Luffy's head rolled over in his chair, and he choked on a snort in response. Silence ensued, as well as a lack of movement from the captain's limp body.

"Hey Luffy, did ya hear me?" With a jerk, Zoro pulled on Luffy's shoulder, rough enough to send him flying back on the chair.

Luffy's limbs flailed about, and he let out a strained screech as his head smacked against the floor. He jumped to his feet and glared at the swordsman, his hand wiping the drool from his chin. "What's the big idea? I was having a nice nap!"

"That's the problem, you idiot captain. You're supposed to be watching her, not sleeping!"

Luffy cocked his head to the side and scratched his head, clueless as usual. "We don't have to watch her that closely do we? It's not like she's gonna die."

Zoro folded his arms against his chest and sighed, too impatient to deal with his captain's ignorance. "Idiot, didn't you hear what Vivi said? Nami _is _dying; that's why we need to find a doctor."

His patience continued to grow thin seeing the confusion on Luffy's face, and he shoved his captain up the stairs in a hurry. The screech was a disturbance enough, and their navigator needed to rest. If nothing else, he'd make damn sure she got as much sleep as possible. With Luffy out of the cabin, Zoro picked up the chair and pulled it up to the bed, settling himself in it to check Nami's temperature. He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to bring them up to room temperature before touching them to her forehead, which was beaded with sweat.

_Same __as __last __time__, __too __hot __for __comfort__. _Grimacing, he watched their navigator struggle to breathe in her sleep, her chest rising and falling in erratic patterns. Genuine worry welled up within him, seeing her in this vulnerable state.

"I asked him to rest, you know." A voice just audible enough for him to hear broke through the stiff tension. He looked down and stared into Nami's tired eyes, which were still filled with commendable determination. "You can go ahead and sleep too, I'm nothing to worry about." She gave him a half-hearted smile, wrought with concealed pain and struggling.

He closed his eyes and scoffed. "You're more of an idiot than he is, worrying about others when you're the one dying."

Returning his scoff, she shuffled beneath the tight covers. "Says the guy who's already been on the brink of death at least once," she grumbled, eyes flickering to the deep scars running across his chest. "And out of sheer stubbornness and useless male pride too." Her lips curled into a jeering smirk as she watched him with half-lidded eyes.

So frail and weak, so unlike the usual conniving money fiend that she was. It wrenched his gut to see her body on the verge of giving up, despite her impassioned spirit, almost reminding him of how Kuina looked after the accident.

_Lifeless__._

Zoro shook his head and frowned at his feet, refusing to allow himself to make the comparison. Nami still had time; they would find a doctor and save her before... _Before __nothing__. __Nothing __was __going __to __happen __to __her__. _Their navigator would be as good as new, as if nothing ever happened, and they'd set out to Alabasta again to help Vivi save her country. It was a simple plan, and it was going to work.

"Seriously, just go take one of your hourly naps. I'm not going anywhere."

"Just shut up and keep resting, noisy woman."

He heard her huff. "Fine, fine, I'll do what the big muscle man says." The end of her sentence trailed off into a murmur as she turned away from him, pulling the covers over her head, as if to hide her weakness from him.

The pair fell quiet and tense, each hoping the other would fall asleep so they could worry alone in peace. But both were too stubborn, and neither allowed themself to fall prey to the lull of sleep and sweet dreams. Knowing this, Zoro felt his irritation build, and it grew heavier, hearing Nami's shallow breaths quicken between coarse coughs. He realized that she couldn't sleep even if she wanted to.

"Dammit, you're not allowed to die, you know that?" he growled, turning around on the chair so that his back faced the bed. He didn't want her to see the worry in his eyes. "We'd never let you leave like that."

First a dainty snort, then the sound of shuffling beneath the covers. "Of course I'm not gonna die. You think I'd let you all off your debts that easily? Especially you—I'm definitely not going to die before I squeeze out every last beli you owe me."

He couldn't tell how long it'd been since he last heard that smile in her voice. That greedy, snarky, commanding bark that made it feel like nothing at all was wrong in the world, except for the money she wasn't making. For once it was a comfort to hear her speak that way. "You're going to make it, Nami. We're going to Alabasta together—all of us."

A short pause followed. Not even the sound of her wheezing or groaning could be heard in the still darkness. And then she whispered. "Thank you, Zoro."

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**End Scene**

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**A/N: **I am so far from reaching the timeskip in the anime... I have, like, three hundred episodes to go before I get to see Zoro and his sexual scar and his sexual beefed up chest and gah. I need a mop.

This scene is set during the Drum Island Arc. I almost ship Vivi and Zoro, but then I have her with Leader in my head. And I never knew how hard it was to keep Zoro in character... He ranges from idiotic to stoically encouraging to downright silly, as far as I've seen in the show. I mean, he swings on vines and yells like Tarzan in the Skypiea Arc. IDON'TEVENKNOW, GO AWAY.

Please read and review. c;


End file.
